Investors often endure poor timing and planning as many chase past performance. They buy into funds that are performing well and initiate a selling spree following a decline.

1. February 2014 Vol. No. 1 Investment Updates
Advisor Corner
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Chasing Performance
Investors often endure poor timing and planning as
many chase past performance. They buy into funds
that are performing well and initiate a selling spree
following a decline. This becomes evident when
evaluating a fund’s total return compared with the
investor return. Overall, the investor return translates
to the average investor’s experience as measured by the
timing decisions of all investors in the fund.
The image illustrates the investor return relative to the
total return for a given fund. Over the short term, both
the total and investor returns were positive and
relatively similar. Over a 10-year period, however,
total return greatly exceeded investor return. Investors
who attempted to time the market ran the risk of
missing periods of exceptional returns.
Dieter Drews, J.D.
Founder/CEO
ddrews@prismadvisor.com
206-443-4321
www.prismadvisor.com

2. Prism Capital Management, LLC Investment Updates February 2014 2
Fund Flows and Asset Class
Performance
Over the last 20 years, markets have experienced many
shocks and recessions, including the Asian currency
crisis, the Russian debt default, the dot-com crash of
the early 2000s, and the recent global financial crisis.
When these events occur, investors frequently attempt
to reduce (or increase) investments to certain asset
classes in order to lower exposure to (or take advantage
of) the situation.
In 2008, the global financial crisis caused U.S. large
stocks and international stocks to perform poorly, with
losses of 37.0% and 43.1%, respectively, while bonds
rose by 25.9%. In the wake of the recession, bonds
performed very well in 2011, returning 28.2% as
concerns about a possible double-dip recession grew.
In the same year, international stocks fell 11.7%, most
likely the result of events such as the sovereign debt
crisis that rippled throughout the global landscape.
For all asset classes, demand and supply determine the
market price of an investment. Understanding this
trend may help investors ascertain how an asset class
fits into their portfolio. Starting in 2007, annual net
asset fund flows into U.S. stock funds became negative
and stayed that way through 2012. Flows into bond
funds, on the contrary, reached a peak in 2009 and
remained high in 2010, 2011, and 2012 as investors
flocked to relatively safer assets. As bond returns grew
unusually high over the last few years, flows into bond
funds may have increased as investors chased bond
performance. Interestingly, outflows from U.S. stock
funds continued despite U.S. large stocks showing
positive returns since 2009. Was chasing bond
performance the right thing for investors to do, or did
investors just miss out on the returns of U.S. large
stocks over the last couple of years?
About the data
U.S. Large Stocks—S&P 500® Index, which is an
unmanaged group of securities and considered to be
representative of the U.S. stock market in general.
International Stocks—Morgan Stanley Capital
International (MSCI) World ex-U.S. Index.
Bonds—20-year U.S. government bond. Annual Net
Asset Fund Flows: U.S.-domiciled open-end fund
flows from Morningstar. Start date of 1994
constrained by data availability. U.S. stock: funds that
primarily invest in U.S. stocks; International stock:
funds that invest in specific regions or a diversified mix
of international stocks with 40% or more in foreign
stocks; Bond: taxable bond funds (government,
corporate, international, emerging markets, high yield,
multisector) that invest primarily in fixed-income
securities of varying maturities.

3. Prism Capital Management, LLC Investment Updates February 2014 3
ETFs Versus Actively Managed Funds
Do we have a winner? Ever since passively-managed
funds like exchange-traded funds (ETFs) came into
being, there has been much debate about active
management versus passive management. Research
published by industry professionals presents different
arguments. Some studies show that only a fraction of
active funds beat their respective benchmarks. Other
studies show that, while active funds have failed to
beat their benchmarks, they do provide added-value
when a disciplined approach is adopted over longer
periods.
An exchange-traded fund strives to achieve a return
similar to a particular market index. The ETF will
invest in either all or a representative sample of the
securities included in the index that it is seeking to
imitate. ETFs provide passive diversification, are tax-
efficient investment vehicles and have cost advantages.
However, the return on an ETF is capped by the
return of the index it tracks. Active managers, on the
other hand, attempt to pick the best investments in
the market and, if well executed, their performance is
not limited by the return on an index. However, active
funds are prone to style drift—the tendency of a fund
to deviate from a particular investment style over time
to improve performance. These modifications in
investment style may be attributed to changing trends
in the market environment.
Let’s take a look at how the “average” ETF and
“average” active fund performed over the last decade.
The image compares the performance of the “average”
ETF with the “average” actively managed mutual fund
during the past 10 years. As evident from the image,
in periods of poor market performance (2008 and
2011) when the market experienced negative or very
low returns, the “average” actively managed mutual
fund performed better than its passive counterpart.
When the market experienced strong positive
performance, ETFs fared better in some years (2004 to
2007, for example). In other years, actively-managed
funds performed better (2012 and 2013).
Why is this, you may ask? One reason for this
behavior is the underlying structure of active and
passive funds. Passive funds like ETFs are designed to
track a particular index or benchmark. This means that
when the benchmark experiences poor performance,
the ETF also fares badly. On the other hand, active
managers may be able to quickly adjust their portfolios
depending on the underlying market conditions. This
may be one reason for better performance in down
markets.
Making a choice between active and passive investing
isn’t an easy one. When deciding which style of
management is better for you, it is important to take
into account several factors, such as costs, style, risk,
transparency of investments, manager performance,
and tax implications. Consult your financial advisor to
learn more about investing in ETFs and actively
managed funds.

4. Prism Capital Management, LLC Investment Updates February 2014 4
Short-Term Focus: Coping with Near-
Term Fluctuations
Instant access to real-time quotes and media reports
can make it difficult for investors with a long-term
investment horizon to stay focused on their goals. In
reality, these daily market movements may not be as
extreme as they seem. As investors look longer term,
their perception often changes. Short-term market
fluctuations can be quite volatile, and the probability
of realizing a loss within any given day is high.
However, the likelihood of realizing a loss has
historically decreased over longer holding periods. The
image illustrates that while the probability of losing
money on a daily basis over the past 20 years was 46%,
the probability dropped dramatically when analyzing
an annual time period—20%. Periodic review of an
investment portfolio is necessary, but investors
shouldn’t let short-term swings affect their view of the
future.
©2013 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein (1) is intended solely for informational purposes; (2) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or the content providers; (3) is not
warranted to be accurate, complete, or timely; and (4) does not constitute investment advice of any kind. Neither Morningstar nor the content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising
from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. "Morningstar" and the Morningstar logo are registered trademarks of Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar Market
Commentary originally published by Robert Johnson, CFA, Director of Economic Analysis with Morningstar and has been modified for Morningstar Newsletter Builder.
Dieter Drews, J.D.
Founder/CEO
Prism Capital Management, LLC
601 Union Street
Suite 4200
Seattle, Washington 98101
ddrews@prismadvisor.com
www.prismadvisor.com
Tel:206-443-4321
Fax:866-294-5926